Numerous devices have previously been proposed for displaying plant material. One example of such a device is that of Barrington in British Patent Specification No. 619240. Barrington discloses a picture frame with which a vase is associated, the base being formed with a flat rear wall from which a hook projects for engagement in a slot in a backing member of the picture frame.
Another example of such a device is that of Lufkin in U.S. Pat. No. 4212133. Lufkin discloses a picture frame with a rectangular opening in the picture area to allow the stems of flowers to pass from the front of the frame to the back of the frame. At the back of the frame, there is a water container which is located directly beneath the rectangular opening, the configuration of the container being such as to hold the stems of the flowers in such way that the flowers remain upright against the front face of the picture area.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device which is simple to manufacture but which enables an arrangement of flowers to be displayed in such way as to achieve the maximum visual impact. It is a further object to achieve this visual impact without the viewer being able to see the container in which the flowers are displayed. For example, with the picture frame design of Barrington referred to above, the vase in which the flowers are placed is visible. However, attractive the vase, this can but detract from the visual impact derived from the flower arrangement.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a display device which can be hung on a wall and in which access can be obtained to the container in which the flower stems are located without removing the device from the wall or other supporting surface on which the device is being displayed.
It is a still further object to provide a display device in which the container in which the flower stems are located is readily removable for cleaning purposes. This is in contrast to the arrangement of Lufkin in which the water container is so positioned that access thereto can only be obtained by taking the display device down from the wall. Furthermore, the water container of Lufkin is either permanently attached to the picture frame or is formed as a one-piece plastic moulding with the frame. Cleaning of the water container of Lufkin is thus either difficult or impossible.